Another baby step towards fulfilling the Gloria Vic Transit vision.

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SARAH panted slightly as she reached the Billings Rd. station of the Gloria (Vic Transit) line from Sooke and blew a sigh of relief. There would be another coach in five minutes — there usually is, during rush hour – but on this occasion she had agreed to meet Janice at Langford. Usually they met at Millstream, where the Sooke line met the Island line from Duncan, but today Janice insisted they meet at Langford, for some reason, and no later than 08:30 sharp. Why, she wouldn't say. continued…

…—is a cost-effective and practical solution to head off the growing problem of traffic to and from downtown Victoria from the surrounding municipalities of the Capital Region District.
Originally proposed by us in 2004 for the Downtown 2020 Conference on ideas for reviving Victoria's downtown core, this scheme is inspired by the successful precedent in Curitiba, Brazil, and envisages a network of fast arterial coach routes that channel commuters, shoppers and visitors quickly from all parts of the CRD to the downtown core...
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…— are the following features:
Dedicated coach lanes (enforced by traffic islands & bollards where necessary)
This ensures unimpeded travel by coaches, irrespective of traffic, in the manner of light rail systems.
Fully enclosed, large-capacity stations where travellers pay before boarding
These provide shelter and easy handicapped access. Payment is made on entry to the station, thereby speeding boarding and reducing stop times.
Station platforms raised to height of coach floor.
For accessibility.
High frequency
When coaches arrive every five minutes or less, their advantage over private transport is compelling.
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• a turnstile at either end – one for entry, the other for exiting — where passengers pay or insert their smartcards, much as in conventional rapid transit systems

• seating for 45
• a ramp as well as steps
• sliding doors matching the positions of the front and rear doors of the bus, for direct boarding.

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… (or vice versa):continued…

…– the bus lane would take over the second lane to accommodate the bus station.continued…

A stylized route map makes travel to and around town easy to understand, for locals and visitors alike:continued…

For maximum impact on the region's commuting patterns, the system should extend to all parts of the Western Communities and up Highway 1 to Duncan and perhaps beyond, and integrated with the E&N Railway, as shown by the western section of the Route Map:continued…

By capitalizing on the width of key arterial routes of Victoria and the Capital Region, "Gloria" (Vic Transit) offers the benefits of a fast commuter rail network at a fraction of the cost, complementing any rail solution that may be developed (we hope) on the E&N Railway.
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